Amsal 16:33

16:33 The dice are thrown into the lap, ¹ 

but their every decision ²  is from the Lord. ³ 

Amsal 18:13

18:13 The one who gives an answer ⁴  before he listens ⁵  –

that is his folly and his shame. ⁶ 

Amsal 27:23

27:23 Pay careful attention to ⁷  the condition of your flocks, ⁸ 

give careful attention ⁹  to your herds,

[16:33]  ¹ tn Heb “the lot is cast.” Because the ancient practice of “casting lots” is unfamiliar to many modern readers, the imagery has been updated to “throwing dice.”

[16:33]  sn The proverb concerns the practice of seeking divine leading through casting lots. For a similar lesson, see Amenemope (18, 19:16-17, in ANET 423).

[16:33]  ² tn Heb “all its decision.”

[16:33]  ³ sn The point concerns seeking God’s will through the practice. The Lord gives guidance in decisions that are submitted to him.

[18:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “returns a word”; KJV “He that answereth a matter.”

[18:13]  ⁵ sn Poor listening and premature answering indicate that the person has a low regard for what the other is saying, or that he is too absorbed in his own ideas. The Mishnah lists this as the second characteristic of the uncultured person (m. Avot 5:7).

[18:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “it is folly to him and shame.” The verse uses formal parallelism, with the second colon simply completing the thought of the first.

[27:23]  ⁷ tn The sentence uses the infinitive absolute and the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “to know”). The imperfect here has been given the obligatory nuance, “you must know,” and that has to be intensified with the infinitive.

[27:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “the faces of your flock.”

[27:23]  ⁹ tn The idiom is “place [it on] your heart” or “take to heart.” Cf. NLT “put your heart into.”

[27:23]  sn The care of the flock must become the main focus of the will, for it is the livelihood. So v. 23 forms the main instruction of this lengthy proverb (vv. 23-27).